The present invention relates to an electrical plug socket, and more particularly, the present invention relates to an electrical plug socket which protects terminals and has a safety device for preventing an accident from occurring due to an electric shock, etc.
In a conventional electrical plug socket, first plug insertion holes are defined through a socket cover, and second plug insertion holes are defined through a socket body. Terminals are located inside the socket body. An opening and closing member is disposed on the socket body below the socket cover in a manner such that it can open and close the second plug insertion holes while being slidingly moved on the socket body. Inclined surfaces are respectively formed at both ends of the opening and closing member. The opening and closing member is biased by a spring in one direction in which it closes the second plug insertion holes. If connection pins of the plug are inserted through the first plug insertion holes, as distal ends of the connection pins are pressed against the inclined surfaces of the opening and closing member, the opening and closing member is moved in the other direction in such a way as to open the second plug insertion holes. As the second plug insertion holes are opened, the connection pins of the plug can be fully inserted through the second plug insertion holes to be electrically connected with the terminals. In this type of conventional electrical plug socket, since the second plug insertion holes are normally closed by the opening and closing member, foreign material is prevented from entering into the socket body, and contamination of the terminals is avoided. Further, it is possible to inhibit children from tampering with the socket body and avoid occurrence of an accident.
In a variation of the conventional electrical plug socket, the opening and closing member is disposed on the socket body in a manner such that it can open and close the second plug insertion holes while being rotated about a rotation shaft. The opening and closing member is biased at one end thereof by a spring in one rotational direction in which it closes the second plug insertion holes. If connection pins of the plug are inserted through the first plug insertion holes, as distal ends of the connection pins are pressed against the inclined surfaces of the opening and closing member, the opening and closing member is rotated in the other rotational direction in such a way as to open the second plug insertion holes. By this, the connection pins of the plug can be fully inserted through the second plug insertion holes to be electrically connected with the terminals.
However, these conventional electrical plug sockets suffer from defects in that, when children insert metallic rods or the likes through the first plug insertion holes and actively move the metallic rods in leftward and rightward directions or in upward and downward directions, as the opening and closing member for normally closing the second plug insertion holes is unintentionally moved or rotated, the metallic rods can be brought into contact with the terminals in an easy manner, whereby the likelihood of an accident such as an electrical shock to occur is increased.
To cope with this problem, another conventional electrical plug socket has been disclosed in the art. In this plug socket, a recess is defined on an upper surface of the plug socket. An opening and closing plate is rotatably installed on the plug socket in such a way as to cover an upper end of the recess. Guide holes are defined through the opening and closing plate, and plug insertion holes are defined in the recess through the plug socket. The opening and closing plate can be rotated to allow the guide holes to be respectively aligned with or disaligned from the plug insertion holes. The opening and closing plate is biased by a spring in one rotational direction so that the guide holes are normally disaligned from the plug insertion holes to hide, that is, close the plug insertion holes.
In order to couple the plug to the socket, connection pins of the plug are first inserted through the guide holes, and then, the plug and the opening and closing plate are integrally rotated with each other to align the guide holes with the plug insertion holes. When the guide holes are aligned with the plug insertion holes, by pressing the plug, the connection pins can be fully inserted through the plug insertion holes to be electrically connected with terminals. As a consequence, this conventional electrical plug socket still has a drawback in that a procedure for inserting the plug into the socket is complicated.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical plug socket which protects terminals, prevents an accident from occurring due to an electric shock, etc, and simplifies a procedure for inserting and coupling a plug therein and thereto.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an electrical plug socket having a socket cover which is defined with first plug insertion holes, a socket body which is defined through an upper wall thereof with second plug insertion holes, terminals which are located inside the socket body, and an opening and closing member which is disposed on the upper wall of the socket body below the socket cover in such a way as to open and close the second plug insertion holes, the electrical plug socket comprising: a locking device installed on the opening and closing member to control movement thereof, the opening and closing member and the locking device being configured in such a way as to be actuated by insertion of a plug into the plug socket.